GeographyOSU

I think they'll annouce that after the submission deadline, which I think is mid-February?

I applied to Washington, it sounds like they'll probably be making their decisions in the next several weeks. Congrats on the acceptance to Oklahoma State! A friend of mine did his PhD at OU, and it sounds like he enjoyed being down there. Best of luck on the other schools!

It looks like UC Berkeley and Minnesota have begun sending out offers today........ *grips desk tight with anxiety*

As a way to help pass the time until we start getting decisions, is anyone going to the AAG annual meeting in San Francisco? If so, we should plan a Grad Cafe meet up! I'll be presenting a paper on the final day of the conference.

Is it just me or does it seem like no departments have made decisions yet, besides two in the UK?

The UMD I go to is the University of Minnesota Duluth---it's a sister campus to the main campus in the Twin Cities! My masters degree is technically a interdisciplinary degree between geography and American Indian Studies so I've been able to use the school's strengths in AIS and human geography to my advantage. We get confused with Maryland all the time so no worries.

No interviews yet, actually no news yet---but most of the programs I've applied to don't really do interviews, from what I've seen. I should hopefully hear from Minnesota and OSU soon, and the other programs should make decisions next month. Hoping we all hear good news!!

No worries! That I am not too sure about. I don't know that a lot of departments in Geography conduct interviews? I would guess that if they did, invites would have to go out soon. Are you referring to Ohio State? No word from them yet but the results page suggests we should hear back within the next couple of weeks.

I don't know for sure as the only data I have to go by is the results page on this website. From the looks of it though, the program doesn't look like it conducts interviews? My best guess is that if they did, it would be around February/March when they do so, as most admit decisions were posted in early to mid-March. It also appears that it can be possible for a POI at Boulder to be interested in your application but take no immediate action, meaning a decision could come later. :/

I thought about applying to Boulder, but I've heard it can be quite expensive to live there, and there was not as good of a fit with my research interests. However, it looks and sounds like it is a perfect fit for you! Judging from the results search page, most people got their decisions in early to mid March, with the recruit/admitted student visit invites being sent out around that same time. Good luck to you as well--your research interests and experience sound super cool!

If past results are any indicator, Ohio State and Minnesota should begin sending out decisions this week!

This is an awesome thread. I'm thankful for- -The willingness of POIs to talk with me via phone and even meet in person during the application process. It allowed me to get to know the faculty as well as giving them a chance to get to know me. -My Master's advisors, for not only writing my letters of recommendation, especially over winter break, but also helping me to select schools to apply to and faculty to contact, as well as giving me much needed feedback on my statements of purpose and providing voices of reason when I'd get anxious over my chances of getting into PhD programs. -My friends and family for supporting me and giving words of encouragement during the process. -My girlfriend, for listening to me rant and worry over my applications. There is a strong chance that we would be living hundreds of miles apart if I end up someplace besides Minnesota and she is staying strong through it all. I plan on marrying her post PhD for sure. -Finally, this forum has been invaluable to me. It's very heartening and reassuring to know that we are all going through the same thing, and the posts and results have been very informative and helpful for me.

Thanks for the help on that other thread Ommani! Best of luck to you too...hoping for good news for all of us here!

That makes sense to me. Thanks for the reply----I was freaking out for a good 5 minutes, thinking my first decision was in. Back to the waiting game for me, it seems!

I checked my application portal for Ohio State just a little while ago and it listed my application as "Posted". However, when I went to the actual application status portal, it simply mentioned my application as "Pending". Is this happening to anyone else applying to OSU? Does anyone else know what this means? I nearly had a heart attack when I saw "Posted"---and I can't find any information about the differing statuses online. Thanks in advance for your help!

Looks like we're both waiting for some good news from Madison!

Finished sending in 5 out of my 6 apps...the last school's deadline isn't until early January and I'm waiting for a PoI to get back to me with feedback on my research statement. Ditto the above posters..I'm already starting to get jumpy about getting e-mails from the schools I've applied to although I won't hear anything til mid-late January at the earliest. The waiting game begins....but I will admit it feels good to have everything in.

Added some schools to my list and took some off! Applying to UBC, Kansas, Minnesota, Ohio State, Washington and Wisconsin!

I'm glad this thread got started! My research interests are in critical geography---I want to study the pervasive effect of governmentality and settler colonialism upon the lives Native Americans, as well as the acts of resistance and resilience that Native Americans have taken against this colonial governmentality. I'm applying to Minnesota, Wisconsin-Madison, Ohio State, Syracuse, Kentucky and Kansas. All are top programs but I have faith I'll at least get into one of those programs...

Speaking as a former SCSU student (got my bachelor's degree there), I would generally recommend against renting in the areas directly surrounding campus---a lot of rundown homes owned by slumlords, and apartments that are marketed towards undergrads, meaning loud parties. The area has also gotten more seedy over the years, meaning more police activity. Like IOGraduate mentioned, there are a number of nicer apartment complexes across the river from campus and downtown, as well as out in the western parts of the city and in Waite Park (a suburb of St. Cloud). Bus service is relatively good in the city, and if you do plan on driving, traffic can be a bit hairy at times but the travel time from campus from most areas of the city is not long at all.

So far, my fall semester is going great! Still getting used to the winter weather in Duluth, but I am originally from the Twin Cities so it isn't too much of a difference..just the Lake Effect causing a constant strong wind and large snowfalls.. Academically, I have been doing well..if I keep my current run of performance, I should be able to get a 4.0 this semester, that along with an A in a summer project I did for my grad director would mean two straight 4.0 terms. I also just got hired for a research assistantship for spring semester (with the potential for an extension for the next year) so that's good news! I will admit, the toughest adjustment I have had to make is the social adjustment. UMD is mostly an undergraduate school, and my choices of extracurricular activities (Marching Band and Pep Band) are also full of undergraduates, so it's been a little difficult connecting with people since in some cases, I'm 5-6 years older than them (I'm 24), but I have made friends, many of them undergraduates, as well as some grad students. All things considered, I'm loving UMD and I am definitely glad I made the choice to come here.

I had a GPA well below 3.0, and I was admitted to an interdisciplinary social sciences program. I think what helped me was that I addressed the deficiencies in my grades, got high test scores (447 on the MAT), and I applied to a lower ranked school (in my case, a regional comprehensive university). I also took the time to get to know the professors that I was interested in working with--one of them ended up sitting on the admissions committee that accepted me. So it is possible...you may not get into a top-10 ranked school but I definitely thought my academic career was over after my undergrad and I'm in a good grad program today--I even just got a funded RA position! I think the most important thing is to explain the reason for your GPA and through your statement of purpose, test scores and additional statements, reassure the admissions committee that you have taken steps to rectify whatever issues caused the low GPA. As for applying for an Masters vs PhD, I'd definitely go for the Masters...usually admissions requirements for the Masters are a little more forgiving than PhD requirements.

My school's acronym is UMD, which is mainly used within Minnesota. Of course, the much more well known University of Maryland-College Park uses that acronym too so outside of the state, my school usually is referred to as Minnesota-Duluth.

I was at work, checking some food items when my phone buzzed. I pulled it out and saw a notification of an e-mail from the program director, with a subject line of "Congratulations!" I quickly opened it and read that I was accepted!

http://boulderridgeduluth.com/ ^That's the apartment complex I'm looking at..looks like rent runs about $540 per month, heat is included. The complex is several miles from UMD but they offer a shuttle. There IS on-campus housing available for grad students but it doesn't look like an ideal situation.